What is an electric cooperative?

Membership has its privileges

There are more than 900 electric cooperatives in the U.S. that serve 42 million members. CHELCO serves more than 49,000 of those members.

We’re all in this together. You are a member of CHELCO – not a customer. And that means you have a voice when it comes to the way we do business. Each spring, you have the option to vote for your board of trustees. These trustees play a key role in making important decisions for our co-op, which is why members’ voices must be heard.

We’re local. It’s likely that you know an employee of CHELCO. Our employees – your friends and neighbors – share the same concerns for our community that you do.

We’re not-for-profit. CHELCO doesn’t offer profits to investors—we return money over and above operating costs to you, our members, based on electricity consumption. Annually, electric co-ops nationwide return millions of dollars to members through this capital credits process. At CHELCO we returned $2,011,958 in 2014.

We’re here for you. At CHELCO, our mission is to provide you with safe, reliable, and affordable electricity. We care about our members’ quality of life, which is why our employees are continuously finding innovative ways to improve our service.

Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives is a national network of electric cooperatives across 46 states that provides resources and leverages partnerships to help member cooperatives and their employees better engage and serve their members. By working together, Touchstone Energy cooperatives stand as a source of power and information to their 32 million member-owners every day.